I stare at Cupid's body slumped against the rocks, lifeless. Cold horror and hot rage fight inside me, twisting around my soul. Valentine's hands restrain my arms – tight.

And then I remember something. The Finis only works when shot by a mortal. Cupid isn't dead – he can't be. Unconscious, maybe. But not dead. It means I'll have to face Valentine alone. But couldn't I also use this to my advantage?

The Finis can kill anyone who shares the blood of Cupid. The Finis only works when shot by a mortal.

As the battle continues around me, as Cal writhes against the floor, I make a decision. I rip myself out of Valentine's grip then hurtle across the beach toward Cupid, throwing myself onto the ground beside him.

I let an anguished scream escape my lips.

But it's only half real.

It's also distraction for what I'm really doing.

I drop my bow onto the floor, then grab the golden Finis arrow, and pull it out of his chest – slipping it into my quiver. Because Cupid will be fine as long as I can defeat Valentine, and I can use this weapon to do it.

Then I place my fingers to his neck. A wave of relief washes over me when I feel the steady beat of his pulse. I'd known I would, but a part of me was still afraid.

Not all will survive.

"Such a pity..." says Valentine - suddenly behind me.

I rise. But I don't turn to look at him. Instead, still looking at Cupid – hair matted with blood, and a dribble of crimson dripping from his nose - a bitter, twisted laugh escapes my lips.

"The Finis only works if shot by a mortal, you idiot," I say. "Cupid's not dead."

Valentine says nothing for a moment – the only sound being that of the battle taking place by the waterside, and horrifying sound of Cal gasping for breath as he writhes on the sand about twenty feet behind us.

Then he chuckles.

I spin around to face him. Our eyes burn into each other.

"I know," he says. "I don't need him dead. Not yet, anyway." He grins. "I just need to keep him busy – like I said."

"He's unconscious."

"Yes, I know," he says. He shrugs. "It's a lazy kind of busy – I suppose."

He looks at his watch – absently fiddling with a button on the side. Then he lazily brings his gaze back to me.

"Just setting a timer to let us know when the big moment arrives," he says with a grin. "Not long now – just half an hour to go."

My heart thuds hard against my chest. As he stares at me – his blue eyes searching – I feel for a moment that he can hear it pounding too. What if it gives away what I have hidden in my quiver? If he notices, it's all over.

If he realizes I've taken the Finis, I wonder whether he'll rip my heart from my chest right now. He's close enough to do it now, inches away from my body, the heat from him hanging over me as his chest rises and falls beneath his torn blue shirt.

I hold his gaze, trying to steady the nausea rolling around in my stomach. If his focus remains on my face, he may not realize what I'm planning to do. My legs feel weak but I try to steady them. I can't let him know.

I just need to find my moment. Kill him. And take the key.

"I can almost see the cogs in your brain turning behind your eyes, Lila," says Valentine – amusement lacing his tone. "I can't wait to see what dastardly plan you're going to come up with to try and stop me." He wiggles his dark eyebrows. "Now come along, let's go somewhere else to speak," He looks at Cal distastefully as he vomits water. "somewhere quiet. He's almost making me feel bad."

My eyes flit to Cal across the beach, just ahead of the chaos of arrows and blood. My heart constricts. I want to help him – but stopping Valentine is the only way I know how.

"Stop torturing him then," I say.

"I can't control my mother," he says. He looks at me pointedly. "I can get one of my army to bring her the shears, though. And if she has the shears, well, there's no telling how long my brother will last..."

I stare at him – something hardening inside. I have no choice but to go with him. I never had any choice.

But at the same time I accept it. I think it was always going to end like this; me and him, alone.

"You know, I almost felt sorry for you," I say.

"I don't want your pity, Lila," he says – his blue eyes blazing. "That's the last thing I want."

I look at the cave where the hearts are. He follows my gaze then nods.

"Come on then," he says – a grin spreading across his face.

He glances once at Cupid. I suck in a breath – watching him.

Please don't notice I have the Finis.

Something passes across his face.

"Are we going or what?" I say hurriedly, trying to distract him.

He jerks back toward me and grins.

"Well, aren't you the eager one! I like it!" He turns and strides toward the dark mouth of the cliff face. "Come on then, let's get down to it."

I exhale heavily. Somewhere, among the crippling fear that I'm about to die, there's a twinge of hope. I still have a chance to win this. A small chance. But a chance.

For a moment my eyes sweep over the raging battle that consumes the small cove. Bodies litter the ocean, bobbing around in the waves. Matchmaking Agents send arrows flying through the air, ripping into enemies that can't be killed. I catch sight of Crystal headbutting a zombie and sending it flying into the wet sand, only to be ambushed by three more. Somewhere Mino roars in pain. I still don't see Charlie.

The whole scene lit up by the ghostly ship at the barrier holding Venus from our world.

My eyes flit painfully to Cal – who weakly lifts his cheek from the sand, sea water spilling from his mouth. His silver eyes lock onto mine – filled with pain. He shakes his head.

"Don't..." he gasps – his voice hoarse.

I turn to Cupid, slumped unconscious against the rocks, blood matting up his hair and dribbling onto his leather jacket.

Then I look at Valentine as he glances over his shoulder at me.

"We haven't got all day, Lila," he says.

With the knowledge that I have the arrow that can kill him slipped into the quiver over my shoulder, and the threat that Cal will die if I don't, I take a deep breath and follow him. I fall into step beside him as we reach the dark mouth of the cave.

We step over the threshold and the battle cries and clash of weapons are immediately dulled. I hear him rummaging for a moment, before light assaults my eyes. I turn to see him tucking a box of matches into his pocket with one hand, while holding a flickering, flaming torch in the other. Its spits and crackles echo around the damp, dark space, and its light shines off the silver against his neck, and the trunk full of hearts that Cupid, Cal, and I unearthed earlier.

"I knew you'd understand where they were," says Valentine – noticing me looking. The shadows flicker across his face as he leads me further into the darkness. He stops in the center, sticks the torch in the ground, then turns to face me. The noise of the battle is gone. There's only us. "We have an understanding between us, don't we?"

I shake my head, feeling his body heat wash over me.

"I don't understand you at all," I say – even though I'm not sure what I'm saying is entirely true. "How could I? You're a monster. You're torturing your brothers. You're bringing back a Goddess hell bent on destroying humanity – the same Goddess that you seem to hate. You've killed innocent cupids and mocked them in death by turning them into your army. You're working with the Fates, and I don't know why."

He watches me, his eyebrows raised in amusement. I narrow my eyes.

"And you shot the girl you loved with an ardor arrow instead of fighting for her," I say quietly.

The grin falls from his face. For the first time anger flashes behind his blue eyes.

"You have no idea the things I've done for her," he says.

I shake my head.

"Seriously?! What do you think you've done for her?!" I hiss.

"Everything."

His eyes blaze into mine. I feel the fury, and the passion, and the pain behind them; the force so strong it causes my heartbeat to quicken. His chest rises and falls with ragged breaths.

I frown. My eyebrows furrow. But I think I might understand.

"You mean...?"

He nods.

"You did all this for her..." I say quietly. "But how? Why? I thought she was dead? Because of Venus. Why would you try to bring Venus back?"

He laughs a bitter laugh.

"I don't want to bring Venus back. I hate her as much as my brothers do. I'm just doing what the Fates told me to do – a small price to pay for what they have offered me."

Shock fills me.

"What? You're working for the Fates? Not with them?"

"They refuse to get involved in the affairs of humanity themselves. That's why you won't see them here today at the battle. But they saw an opportunity in me and nudged me in a direction of their choosing." He grins. "My knowledge of the dead was useful, it meant they didn't have to involve themselves more than their laws allow them. I had sailed the ferry to the Underworld and back before, you know, in pursuit of the only thing that matters to me."

"But you didn't find her?" I say quietly.

"I did. And I didn't," he says – his eyes burning into me. The corner of his lip tugs upward slightly. "It's complicated."

"Why do the Fates want Venus back?"

A part of me is aware that I'm allowing myself to be distracted from what I need to do. Midnight must be fast approaching. And only one of us will leave this cave alive. I'm sure of it.

"Don't know," he says quietly. He takes a small step forward, bringing our bodies closer. "Maybe they're tired of humanity, plaguing this earth. Maybe they miss the good old days. Maybe they want to bring back the gods." He shrugs. "Don't care."

His face is serious now – an intensity burning behind his eyes.

"What are they giving you in return?" my voice comes out as a whisper.

He smiles sadly.

"I think you know."

I nod slowly. I think I do.

And crippling, cold fear suddenly grips me. Because up until now – I don't think I thought he'd actually hurt me. For some reason I never felt like he wanted to.

But everything he has done, he has done for the love of one girl: he has raised an army of the dead, and orchestrated a plan to bring back his own worst enemy.

He is willing to end the world to bring her back.

And I'm sure now that's what he has been offered. Psyche. The Fates must know a way to bring her back to life.

He takes a step toward me, our bodies only inches apart. His scent of salt and the seat washes over me with his body heat. Softly he touches my cheek, cupping my face gently in his rough hand. Fear clenches in my stomach, but I don't pull away. I look up at him.

"I don't want to hurt you," he says.

My eyes slide from his blazing gaze to the silver thread around his neck – the key hidden from view beneath the blue material of his shirt.

A beeping sound comes from his wrist.

Midnight.

He gives me a soft smile.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lila."

And, my heart pounding in my chest, I swipe the golden Finis from my quiver, push him back, and thrust it up into his chest. His eyes widen and he grabs my hand just before the tip penetrates his heart. His gaze consumes me – the intensity of it turning my insides to hot liquid.

We stare at each other, one of his hands still on my face, the other gripped tightly on my hand holding the final arrow - our bodies push against one another. I struggle against him, grabbing at the silver thread around his neck and tightening my fingers around it – the force of it pulling his head closer to mine.

I can feel his heartbeat against my body. His eyes remain focused on my face.

I need to fight him. I need to kill him. But for a moment I'm caught here in his gaze – paused here between life and death. And I don't want to do it. I don't want to kill him. And I wonder if there's another way.

But I know deep down there's not.

Slowly, crying out with the exertion, I push the arrow upwards through his chest. He blinks hard, pain evident on his face. But then he smiles.

"I can't wait to see her again," he says. A tear slips down his cheek. My grip tightens on the cool, metallic string around his neck. "I can't wat to see..."

With a cry I jerk our hands upward, his still on mine – and I feel the tip sink into his heart. He looks at me one last time – his eyes blazing into my soul.

"...Psyche."

And then I see white. I'm hurled across the cave with force as Valentine seemingly implodes into nothing. I hit my head hard against the rocks.

And then I see black.

***

I don't know how much time passes before I open my eyes again. But Valentine's torch still burns in the center of the cave so it can't be too long. I feel something metallic embedded in the palm of my hand.

I open it.

The key sits there, its teeth cutting into my skin. The silvery string is no longer attached to it, and I wonder if that part of it was ripped off and disappeared into nothing with Valentine.

Where did he go? Where is he now? For a moment I sit in a hazy heaviness.

I feel an unbidden sadness, a darkness, creeping through my veins. And when I touch my face it's wet.

Have I been crying?

What the hell is wrong with me?

I blink hard.

And suddenly everything floods back to me: Cal outside being tortured, Charlie, Crystal, Mino, all caught in battle. And Cupid. Cupid unconscious and unprotected outside.

I need to end this.

I lurch to my feet, stumbling across the cave toward the silver chest. I fall to my knees and jam the key into the key hole. I gag when I open it.

It's filled to the bring with cupid hearts. Hundreds of them.

I need to destroy them.

My eyes dart about the dark cave – lit only by the flickering torch light.

The torch.

I stumble toward it, my brain still feeling fuzzy, and pull it out of the sand. Then I take the crackling flame, and throw the whole thing into the metal box. The hearts immediately catch alight and release the sickly, metallic odor of burning death.

I take a step back and watch as the bright light fights against the shadows. I watch until the white light roaring flames slowly transform to orange embers. And when the darkness settles once more I stride out of the cave and onto the beach.

Relief washes over me in a great tsunami.

The fight is over.

The undead are rowing back to the great ferry which glows less brightly than before.

And then I feel a pang of fear once more.

Not all will survive.

My eyes scan the cove for everyone I care about.

Crystal, blood streaked across her face and clothes stained red, is crouched over Cal. My heart clenches. He's no longer spewing water. But is he...? Crystal sees me and nods – a strained smile on her face. He's alive.

My eyes dart to the next casualty. Cupid is where I left him, still unconscious by the wall. I can see his chest moving up and down. I find Mino - helping Selena and some of the sirens.

Where's Charlie?

My heart pounds.

And then I see her, helping up Cassie who is limping.

Relief floods over me.

We're all OK.

As I watch the army help each other, tending to the injured and mourning the dead – I see a small boat heading in an opposite direction to the others. I smile, somehow knowing who it will be.

He gets out of the boat and makes his way across the sand toward me. I go to meet him.

He's slender, but his arm muscles bulge where they're revealed beneath his sleeveless, dirty top. He must have been wearing the same clothes for months. His skin is black, and he wears his dark hair in dreadlocks, tied in a not atop his head. He grins as he approaches.

"I've heard a lot about you over the past few months," he says.

"Charon?" I say.

He nods.

"The one and only," he says. "I have something you might want before I take the ship and its passengers back to where they belong."

He holds out his hand and I take the cool silvery thread that hangs between his fingers.

"Cal's life thread," I say.

He nods. He looks at me, his dark eyes studious. Something unreadable flickers across his face. Then he smiles and takes a step back.

"Good work, kid," he says. "Be careful."

Then he turns and walks back across the shore toward the boats. I watch him for a moment, Cal's thread clasped tightly in my hand. Then I race across the sand to Cupid, falling down by his side.

As I do a groan escapes his lips and he blinks hard.

"What the...?"

He squints up at me. I see the relief wash over his face when his eyes meet mine.

"You're OK!" he says.

I nod, and he grabs my shoulders, pulling me into his body and folding his arms around me. I let myself fall into him, feeling his comforting warmth engulf me – the silver thread still clasped tightly between my fingers.

I break from our embrace to look down at him. He reaches for my cheek and pulls me forward, claiming my mouth with his in a hurried but passionate kiss. Then he breaks away.

"Did we win, lovebug?"

I grin.

"We won," I tell him.

(next (and final!) chapter now up as well! >>>)